What is it like to have an Italian grandma?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “grandmas of maine coffee cake“
What is it like to have an Italian grandma?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “grandmas of maine coffee cake“
I can just describe how is for me, but i guess many points are im common with all italians grandmas.
She was born before the war and often told us about the time that was before, a different life, in every sense. She saw as child the rise of fascism, she wanted to join the balilla (fascist children) thinking was fun… but her father, my great grandpa, never allowed her, he was communist and therefore he lost his job and had a hard time during fascism. She told us many times about the war, on one side Americans were bombing cities causing endless pains, on the other side you had germans and fascists that were taking their revenge on civil population, my grandpa was caught by germans when he went to stole some sugar, but luckily escaped. Yes steal food, she told us how they didn’t have to eat, they had to escape for the town on the hills to avoid Americans bombs.
She doesn’t resent americans or germans for the war, nor even the fascists. Like many grandma she is deeply religious and go to church everyday. She regret that my mother wasn’t able to convince me and my brother to become good christian (in italy is synonym of Catholic).
After the war the americanization of our culture, arrive of many products. My grandma always tell me that thanks to the american ddt there are not so many flyes anymore.
Like many grandma she knows how to cook, and like often happen in italy we always gather at her home with cusins for Sunday or holidays like Christmas and Easter. She was good with gnocchi, minestrone, castagnaccio, pasta fresca and many things that my mother never really learned and that will disappear with her.
Well, an Italian grandma would be quite old-aged (70+), since it’s uncommon to have children before 30-35 in Italy.
Older ones would probably remember episodes from WWII in their infancy, and the related scarcity of some common food items (oil, sugar, butter, coffee, meat) that today we take for granted, but not of others (groceries, eggs, milk and flour). A box of real coffee (made from real coffee beans, and not from roasted chicory…) would still be appreciated as a nice present when visiting.
Some would still wear a scarf around their head, and long gowns.
Many would still know how to weave, sew and crochet, and how to prepare traditional meals, cakes and sweeties.
And, of course, they’d love to stay with their grandsons. 🙂